Ventilator for raincoats and the like



y 1946. M. A. CHAVA NI Q ES 2,400,627

7 VENTILATOR FOR RAINCQATS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 9, 1945 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR. MARC A. CHAVANNES',

May 21, 1946. M. A. CHAVANNES VENTILATOR FOR RAINCOATS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 9, 1943- FIG.

INVENTOR. MARC A. CHAVANNES,

riods, particularly in warm weather.

tion has little or no opportunity to evaporate'so.

wearer of agarment further important feature of the provision of a compact arrangement of a tu- Patented May 21, 1946 Marc A. Chavannes, Kingston, N. Y. Application February 9, 1943, Seria1 No. 4 75,242

Claims.

This invention relates to means for permitting the free passage of vapors and the like from the inside of a raincoat, cap or other article of wearing apparel, or other means of enclosure or protection, to the outside.

. In providing protection against rain, it is necessary to employ materialswhich are impervious to water even when the drops'are impelled with relatively great force, as in a'driving rain. Ma-

terials suitable for this purpose must be sub- -stantially airtight.

As a result, garments formedof such materials. become extremely .uncomfortable when worn for relatively long, pe- Perspirathat in a relatively short time the clothing beneath the raincoat, or the like, becomes laden with moisture and is just as objectionable as if the wearer had become drenched with rain.

A primary object of the invention has been to provide simple but effective means .for permitting the relatively free outward passage of vapors developed on the inside of a raincoat or the like while definitely preventing the ingress of water even in a driving rain.

' Another object ha been to provide means of the character indicated which may be very simply and quickly applied to existing garments or the like as well as to new ones.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a tubular member, or a member of non-tubular formbut having a tortuous or other type of winding passage therethrough, or a plurality of such members, at suitable points, the member or members being so constructed and arranged that air I and vapors may pas freely through the same without danger that therethrough.

rain will be forced inwardly Each member is preferably formed of a relatively soft, flexible material capable, however, of retaining its shape-sufiiciently to insure the maintenance of an open passage through the same. Thus, discomfort to the v embodyin the improvement is avoided while at the same time the proper functioning of the ventilating means is made certain under all circumstances. Toward thi end the invention is bular member, such that any collapse the same and close on. the passage through the member is resisted by a number of closely spaced portion of the member acting in parallel.

Other objects, features and advantages of the force tending to invention willappear froma detailed description of certain illustrative forms of the same which will now b given in conjunction with the accompanyingv drawings, in which: j I

Fig. 1 is a. perspective viewof a portion of a raincoat embodying thev improved ventilating means;

: Fig. 2 is a detail view showing in plan a portion'of. the raincoat throughwhich a ventilating tubeis. passed, apart of .the tube being shown in' section;

Fig.3 is a transverse sectional view through the tube and fabric along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the winding of two portionsv of. a tube embodied in the preferred form of-the invention;

- Fig. 5 is a, similar view illustratinga modified form of tube; p

Figs 6 is a similar view of a 'further modified form of. tube;

Fig. 7- is an enlarged detail view in section through the fabric showing. ,specialmeans for retaining a tube in. position;

Fig. 8 is a detailview showing, in plan, an eyelet providedthrough the fabric Fig.9 is a vertical section through the eyelet of Figure8, showing a tube in place;

Fig. 10is a detail view, in section, showing the attachment of a modified form of tube;

Fig, ll is a detail view, in section, showing a tube of modified cross-section which may be em- "played in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 12 is a view, in transverse section, through a portionof thefabric carrying a modified form The invention is primarily concerned. with the provision of theimproved ventilating means in a raincoat or a cap orother article of wearing apparel andit is accordingly illustrated in connection' with a garment. However, it should be understood that the invention is of broader ap- 'plication and may be used in connection with the ventilation of larger articles, such as tents and the like, or it may be used inrconnection with bags or similar means employed for the protectionor preservation of food stuffs or other arm'only' employed for eyeleting of this character may, for example, be'provided; in groups across the chest-covering poijtion of I backjust j below the shoulders, or at. the small ofthe back, and at any other convenient point or points at which ventilaticle requiring the relatively free passage of air or vapors but the exclusion of water. For example, in the wrappingof fruit or the like it is frequently desirable to employ a bag or container formed of water-impervious material capable of excluding rain but which, at the same time, is

provided with suitable ventilating means for per- 1 j mitting the necessary respiration of the fruit.

Referring now to the drawings, there, is illustrated'in Fig. l a conventional form of raincoat I8, such as now commonly worn by members of the armed forces. This coat may be constructed 1" has its outer surface in any suitable manner but formed of a material which is substantially im pervious to both water and air.

It may, for ex-f .:imp ossible for even a ample, be a rubberized fabric or it maybe formed of a laminated material embodying as. one or,

more of its layers an impervious film formed of rubber or a natural or synthetic resin. Atsuit able points at 'which ventilation is found desir- .able, the water-and-air-impervious material is perforated and provided with an eyelet I I formed of metal, s'uchas brass, or; of any otherlsuitable material capable of' formmg a rigid, reinforced and protected edge around an opening through the fabric. It should 'be'capable of application to the fabric by a simple tool or implement comthe coat, and across the tion is desirable.

. Now, in accordancewith the preferred form of 1 theinvention, there is inserted in, each of the eyelets a spirallyjwound tube I2jof snail-like configuration. This tube may be formed of 'any suitable material, such as a plastic of any of a variety of types-rubber, metal or the like. Preferably it is of afiexible or semi-flexible character so that it will not be uncomfortable to the wearer when pressed'again'st the body, On the other hand. it must not beso flexible as to be likely to be squeezed together and thus closed off v in the ordinary course of se; Moreover, as will appear fromthe description of themode' of application of the tube to the fabric. to be hereinafter given, it is important'that the tube have a certain I I If "it is formed ofan appropriate plastic, such as a thermo-settin'g resin or; a thermo-plastic resin, it will rigidity or ability to retainits shape.

have a desired flexibility but at the same time it' will tendto return after deformation to its initial-shape.- Thus, if the end of the tube is accidentally engaged with some object and partially unwound or otherwise distorted, and is then released, it will have a tendency to return to its 'initial, spiral form. :Thermosetting resins are particularly suitable from this standpoint since they may be readily shaped, prior to thermal setting, and when once set at elevated temperatures, they have a very strong tendency to maintain the shape in which they have: been set. I

In the preferredzconstruction illustrated, dia grammatically,v in Fig. 4,:the tube I2 is formed ;of two spirally wound portions I3 and I4 connected'bya short, substantially straight section'I'. The spiral portions are wound-in the same sense from the intermediate, straight s,ec

tion' Hi. It will be understood that in the diagrammatic showing in Fig. 4, the section I5 isof much greater length than in actual practice, for

;,thepurp ose of more clearly indicating the form of the two spiral endportions. Actually, the secpurposes. 1 Eyelets'f portion I3 of the tube is a'seal.

2,400,627 f 7 tion I5 is simply of sufiicient length to extend through the eyelet I I, as shown in Fig. 3.

In applying the tubular element to a garment, the eyelet II is first inserted in the proper location through the fabric by means of a suitable eyeleting punch or the like. of the portion I4 of the tube is then the eyelet and the complete, length is the shortjstraight plane of the eyelet.

inserted in passed. through the eyelet and section -I 5 is brought into the The parts will then assume the position indicated in Figs. 2 and. 3. The free... end IIof the outer portion I3 of the tubeis at this time so'disposed as to have its opening facing downwardly so as to of the opening. This the tubeh'as a passage of suiiiciently large crossshould be of sufficient ciently large to' "section.

The diameter of the tubing employedmay vary considerably, according to the specific application of the invention. In any case. the tubing diameter not to induce it should be sufficapillary action. Furthermore,

sage of air through'the same. The friction to be overcome by the vapor pressure within the garthickness of the tube,

ment should be as small as practicable. For this purpose, the. diameter of its passage should be at least /8 of an inch and and or an inch, or even larger. The wall if it is formed of a thermobetween .01 and .025'of setting plastic,.may vary greater thicknessthan an inch or it may have a this, if desired, and particularly if its diameter is relatively large.

The over-all length of the tubeprior to winding the same into the spiral form may suitably inner side of the garment, due to the heat of the body, will pass freely outwardly through the tubewhilewater, even in the most driving downpour of rain, will not enter and pass through the tube from the outside to the inside of the garment. An advantage of the reversely-wound spiralarrangement of of the tubular element is that it avoids the danger of carrying a drop or slug of water from the rhythmic movement of.

However, as indicated in outer to the inner end of the tube by a possible the body in the course ,of walking. -Thus, if.such rhythmic movement would tend .tocarry a drop of watercaught at the I end. I! of the tube completelythrough the spiral portion I3. t0 the part l5, the same rhythmic movement would tend to prevent the passage of this drop outwardly along the spiral portion I4.

Fig. 5, the two end portions I3a and I la may, if desired, be, wound in the same sense for simplicity of manufacture. If so, there is a slight danger that a drop of water willbe forced completely through the tube by the rhythmic'motionreferred to, butthis possibility is relatively remote and the modifiedconstruct on has the possible advantage that a drop of The free end I6- portion I I is rotated until its make it substantially most driving rain to enterfree end of the outer to be discharged outl.

of adrop of water 001- permit the relatively free paspreferably between /4 be between 5 and 10 inches. It will beunderstood that in the use of-the im- 1 proved ventilating tube, vapors generated on the thetwo portions I3 and I4 water will'not permanently close off tlie' tube andprevent the free passage of thejvapor 'desired. i

portion I9- is simply bent first in one direction and i then the'other to provide a tortuouspassage for the air or'vapors, which willdefinitely prevent inward and upward movement of water even in a most .driving rain.

In any of the constructions above described, it

is desirable that the internal diameterof the eyelet'be slightly-greater thantheexternal .diameter of the tubing. l The tubing,--as.indicated, is preferably flexible so that it may, be readily squeezed and pressed or drawn-through the eye! let by th use of an appropriate amountof force but when once positioned, it will be held firmly and will not be readily displaced by accident. The squeezing of the tube is illustrated in an exaggeratewayat 20 in Fig. 9. As a result of the construction of the tube at the eyelet, a good seal is effected between these two parts. To further prevent accidental rotation of the tubing, after proper positioning of the same by force, the

eyelet may suitably be of oval form, as best shown. in Figure 8. The tubing being either formed initially to correspond in cross-section with the opening 2| through the eyelet,,or. being squeezed to conform with this opening, will tend to resist rotation within the eyelet. Any other appropriate configuration ofthe opening and cooperating porticn of the tubing may be employed for the same purpose. t

If desired, the intermediate section l5 of the tube may be provided with a pairof enlargementsor beads, as indicated at 2'3 in Fig. '7. 'In'attaching the tube to the garment, one of the beads may be forced through the eyelet H, the tubing being sufficiently yielding to permit this, but assuming its normal condition in the region of the head after this has passed through the eyelet. Thus. the eyelet will be clamped between the two beads and axial displacement of the section If) of the tube will be prevented. This construction may be employed also in the event that it is desired to have the spiral or other winding or bent configuration of the tubing only on the outside of the fabric. The coiled tube may be retained merely by the cooperation of the beads, formed adjacent the free, inner end of the tube, with the opposite sides of the eyelet. Or, if desired, the modified construction illustrated in Fig. may be used for this purpose. Thus, the free. inner end of a. coiled or bent tube 23 may be formed with a bead 24 which may be held against one side of the eyelet l I while a split ring 25 seating in a groove 26 in the tube may be held against the opposite side of the eyelet.

In Fig. 11 there is shown a tube of special cross-section, having a flat side 27 adapted to lie flat against the surface of the fabric. This type of tubingmay be employed in connection with any of the forms of the invention hereinabove described. If'the tube is of such cross-section throughout, the eyelet should have its opening of corresponding shape; however, the portion l5 of For'simplicity of application 'of the time" may, if desired, be of circular or 'ova'l cross-section while the coiled portions only are of the-"special shape shown."

'One or both of the coiled, "or otherwise bent,

portionsof'the'tubing'maybe enclosed in a button-like shell 28, as shown in Fig, 12. This shell maybe formed of any suitable material,=. such as metal, or=plastic, orithe' like. It may be formed of thesame material asthetubing itself, if desired. Its edge is'preferably bent or curled inwardly and adapted to be clamped overthe coiled tubing; The lower portion of the shell rim should be cutaway or provided with an opening,-as indicatedat 29, to permitwthe'. freepassageof air andvapors into and out of the, same.

Securing means, such as tapes 30, maybe employed to retain the coiled tubing more firmly against thefabric, if desired. Such tapes may be disposed-in any convenient and appropriate manner to accomplishthe-desired purpose and they may be used eitherwith or without the shells 28; The ventilating tubes, or the like, of any of .the foregoing constructions may .be concealed beneatha fiap 30a, if desired, giving theappearance ofapocket. Or, if preferred, they may actually be insertedin apocket and means, such as,a slide fastener, may. beemployed to close ofi the pocket and thus prevent ready access of even air to the outer ends. of the ventilating tubes. This may be desirable, for example, in the event of a cold, high velocity windbeing encountered as the raincoat is being worn.

In Figs. 14 and 15 there is shown a modified construction in which a tortuous or winding passage for the air and vapors is provided by a special button-like construction in lieu of the tubing described in the foregoing. An. eyelet la. maybe provided, as before. through the outer fabricjllla, at any selected point. Or. if desired.

the eyelet may be omitted and simply hole through the fabric reinforced by suitable but-tone hole stitching, '01 the like, may be provided. Through the opening of the eyelet or the fabric nut 35 which fits into a recess or pocket 36 in another hollow button-like member 37. Within the member 34 the bolt is provided with an opening 38 which places the interior .of the member in communication with the hollow of the bolt. Similarly an opening 39 places the hollow of the bolt in communication with the interior of the member 31. An opening 40 in the rim of the member 31 admits air into the interior of the latter from the bottom. A baflle or partition 4|. however, compels the air, so admitted, to traverse substantially the entire circumference of the member before passing through opening 38 into the hollow of the bolt. A similar opening and partition provided in the member 31 will cause the air or vapors to traverse substantially the complete circumference of member 31 in passing between the inside of the garment and the hollow of the bolt. It will be apparent that air and vapors may traverse the winding or tortuous path between the inside and the outside of the raincoat or the like with relative freedom but rain will be quite definitely excluded. As will be understood, the specific construction of the button-like members 34 and 31 and the retaining bolt may be varied materially and may provide a more or-less winding or tortuous-path for. the-,yapors and air. :In any construction of these: parts; however, care should lie-exercised toprovide an air passage of suflicientcross-section in relation to length to keep the friction losses within reasonable limits. V I "As a special'feature of the invention, regardless of the formof the particular ventilating means ti'vely' ventilated by'a single'tube or passage: For

this purpose'it is desirable'to so constructthe coat as to provide channels within the same, or between the coat and the wearer, which will" place This may be accomplished, foreiiam pleyby a beltedconstruction or the like Whichwill cause'thecoat'fabric to fall so also, an air pocket of considerable area; may be provided'at the innerend of the ventilating passageby any suitable means for holding the coat material spaced from the body in that area, In

applying the invention to a cap, any of the above-- mentioned forms of I ventilating means may be employed. On a military cap the spiral'tube construction, for example, may suitably be provided in rear of the usual emblem worn at the front of thecap. H V i While certain illustrative formsof the invention have been disclosedv in considerable detail, it will be understood that numerous other, changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the. various parts without departing from the general principles and scope of the invention.

I claim: v a s 1. Ventilating means for water impervious fabric which comprises an eyelet secured to said fabric and forming a reinforced opening therethrough, and a tube extending through said eyelet 4 a, a,-4oo,ea7

rand havin a continuous passage communicating I ewith theatmosphere at theopposite sides of the fabric, said tube being firmly "retainedby gsaifl eyeletand havingv its iportionatone side of the eyelet bent into spiral form.

.2 Ventilating; meansbfor "watereimipervious V fabric which comprisesran eyeletsecured -to'. said" fabric and .forming a reinforced opening thereemployed, it is considered highly "desirable to so construct the raincoat 'or-other' article that a. relatively large area within the coat will be effec- '15 the v'entilating means in conim'unication with V V relatively distant points.

through; and a tube'extendingthrough said reyelet and having a continuous passage communicatingawith'the atmosphere at the ,oppositesides of theifabric; said tubebeing firmly retainedby l'said eyelet and having portions at. both sideslof the eyelet bent into'spir'al 'form'. r

3. Ventilating "means for Water-impervious fabric which comprises an eyelet secured'to said fabric and forming a reinforced-openingtheree through, and a tube extending through said:eye-' let and having a continuous passage c'or'nmuni- {cating'with theatmosphere at the opposite 'sides V "of-the 'fabr'ic,*-said tube being firmly retained by s'aid' eyelet and having p rtions" at 10cm sid'es'or the' eyelt bent-into spiral foiinf thetwospiral V portions {at opposite 1 sides] ofthe; fabric being 7 coiled in'opposit'e'sense. r

' I '4.- Ven'tilating means for' water mperviousfab'ric whichlcomprise'sj eyletse'curedto said fabric and forming' a reinforced op amg me ethrough of substantially oval configuration, and

a tube extending through said eyelet anq having a continuous passage communicating witl'ijthe atmosphere at the opposite sidesof the "fabric,

said tube having its portions at both'si des of the eyelet ber t intoj spiral form, the intermediate portion of said ,tube engaged with said eyelet aving a cross section correspondingwith the interior of said eyelet. i

, a v ntuan g means r 1;tai es w aiit least ,inppart of water imp'erviousfabric;

site sides of saidelement. 1,

MARC lA. ntw ned;

, afpa'ssage through said fabric, andbuttonelilte 

